VOLUME LII JUNE 2015 NO 6 For that reason, I strongly urge all members to make every possible effort to attend. The information has already been distributed and is included in this newsletter. Please reply and make your reservations now. PRESIDENT S COMMENTS Dear Members and Friends, Well it s a sad day because this is my last opportunity to write the President s column in the newsletter. In their wisdom the framers determined that the office of presidency would be limited to two twoyear terms. It has been quite an honor to serve in this capacity. As Mel has explained the time has come to make some adjustments in the organizational structure of the group, and special attention to this issue will be given during the upcoming national convention. Since N6172D has five owners and I d rather not take the airplane for several days I am looking forward to a pleasant road trip from Richfield, Ohio to Peru, Illinois on Sunday, July 5 and then a leisurely journey to Des Moines on Monday July 6. After departing the convention on Thursday I hope to arrive in the Sturgis-Lagrange area by early afternoon and then on to Richfield by Friday evening. Even though my tenure as President is coming to an end I hope to remain an active NAPP member and continue to attend the annual conventions. They are always an inspiration, both in terms of aviation and presbyteral ministry. I am hoping to see a large turnout in Des Moines! Safe travels to everyone! Sincerely, Allen Corrigan / N6172D / 1G5 (Medina Muni, Ohio) acorrigan56@gmail.com http://priestpilot.blogspot.com http://www.saintvictorparish.org - 1 -
July is just around the corner. It s hard to believe, but true. As President Allen mentions it is important that YOU be there to assist in some important decisions that will impact the future of NAPP. Get your reservation in ASAP. I never cease to be amazed at some of the things that occur because we are priestpilots and how far reaching the interest can be. I am including an article from our Archdiocesan paper. My brother John received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award recently and they did this story. It came out on Friday and by evening I had a note from a lady in New Zealand, a correspondent for their diocesan paper, who wanted more info about flying priests. I will respond to her inquiries shortly. A couple weeks ago Pat Patten called from the other side of the world. One of his volunteer pilots in Tanzania needs a U.S. license to fly the Flying Medical Services planes. We are working with TSA to get approval for him to come and complete the mission. We do make a difference. In addition to the Hemann brothers story this issue has the following items: 1. The e-postcard regarding NAPP s tax exempt status. 2. A report on the Kansas Midwest meeting. 3. There will be a shirt for you at the Convention. Be sure & mark your size on the registration form. I hope you are giving serious consideration about a new newsletter editor. One person has expressed interest but would gladly defer to someone who might see this as a call from on high. If all else fails we might learn from Acts 1:26 and cast lots for a replacement. On a personal note I want to thank all of you for putting up with me these past 46 years. I must admit there have been times I seriously wondered whether it was worthwhile and then I d get a letter, a call, or an email that made me realize there really is a need for this. This position has put me in contact with so many wonderful people I never would have gotten to know as well as I have. Thank you so much for all your support and friendship. Hopefully we ll see you in Des Moines. The NAPP Fall Midwest meeting will be September 28, 2015 in Greenfield, Iowa. Greenfield is southwest of Des Moines and the featured attraction will be the Iowa Aviation Museum located on the Greenfield airport. More information will follow later. Don t forget Des Moines July 7 8 WE NEED YOU THERE ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: REV. MEL HEMANN 127 Kaspend Place Cedar Falls, IA 50613-1683 319-230-4957 email: N298MH@cfu.net - 2 -
Priest Brothers Share Wright Brothers Award Fathers Mel and John Hemann make aviation history By Jill Kruse Witness Editorial Assistant MASON CITY Named after famed brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is a prestigious honor given by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to recognize pilots who have practiced safe flight operations for 50 years or more during their aviation careers. Two other brothers, Father Melvin Hemann and Msgr. John Hemann, both priests of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, are both now the recipients of this distinguished Wright Brothers Award. Only a few other brothers in history have ever both received it, and the Hemann brothers constitute the first and only pair of brothers who are both priests to have each been given the honor. The FAA representative who presented me with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, recalled Father John, said that Melvin and I will probably be the only two priest brothers who will ever receive this award. Father John, who is 80-years-old and the younger of the two Stacyville born siblings, is retired and living in Clear Lake. He received the Wright Brothers Award this April 16 at the Mason City Airport. He has been a priest for 55 years and has been flying for nearly as long. This June will mark his fifty-third year as a pilot. Father John s older brother, Melvin, 86, who is also retired and living in Cedar Falls, was a recipient of the Wright Brothers Award on July 12, 2011. Father Melvin has been a priest for 56 years and has been flying for 55. He has also in that time been a flight instructor and continues to instruct today, with some of his students currently employed as airline pilots, serving in the military and also doing missionary work. Both Fathers John and Melvin are also charter members of the National Association of Priest Pilots organization. The group was founded in 1964 and encourages friendship among priests and also supports the use of aircraft for missionary work. Their many decades of flying and their involvement in the National Association of Priest Pilots has brought the Hemann brothers all over the world. John has landed a plane in 43 of the 50 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces and the Yukon and Northwest Territory. Melvin s flights have taken him to all fifty U.S. states, as well as throughout Canada, Central America, Africa and Europe. Both siblings have had the opportunity to meet many new people along the way. Father Melvin said the brothers years of flying has not only been a fulfillment of a passion of theirs, but also a great tool for evangelization for the people they have met. He explained, I know I have done more to share the Gospel message through my flying to people I would never have reached if we had not had a common interest that automatically removed barriers. - 3 -
When they found out this pilot is also a priest it opened many doors, said Father Melvin. The airplane has made it possible for us to expand our ordinary ministry and do things we probably couldn t have done otherwise. He joked, We ve covered a lot of ground the easy way. Melvin and John also had a younger brother, Everett, who was also a priest in the Archdiocese of Dubuque and was an accomplished pilot in his own right. Everett passed away three years ago. If he were still living, though, he would also have been eligible to receive the Wright Brothers Award and share in the same special honor as his brothers. Fathers Melvin and John and the late Father Everett Hemann shared a great deal as siblings, priests and fellow pilots, which created a special relationship amongst the three. Father John said that loving care, support and bonding for the Hemann siblings began early in the family home growing up and only continued as the three became priests for the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The commonality of our vocations to the priesthood along with a similar passion for flying airplanes, he shared, provided great support and meaning to a most wholesome and meaningful vocation and avocation. This story is provided courtesy of The Witness, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. SPECIAL Gene Murray, Mike Makelbust and crew have a wonderful lineup of events prepared for us in the Des Moines area The speaker at the evening dinner will be a former volunteer at Wings of Hope Part of his job was to do the annual inspection on Flying Medical Services planes in Tanzania. That alone should be interesting. GET THE RESERVATION IN ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- - 4 -
On a beautiful, but windy, spring day about a dozen NAPP members gathered in Hays, Kansas. Host Al Werth, fellow Kansas members John Wolesky and Merlin Kieffer greeted incoming flyers from Iowa and Wisconsin. Wisconsin member Bill Menzel joined the Iowa contingent of Phil Gibbs, John and Mel Hemann, Jack Paisley, and Phil Schmitt in Waterloo to make the journey in the Aztec. John Herzog and Mike Makelbust arrived in Mike s Cardinal. The first item on the agenda was a visit to the NAPP MIDWEST REGIONAL MEETING Monday, April 27, 2015 Hays, Kansas spectacular fossils. It was our privilege to observe the Museum displays. The group gathered for lunch at Gutch s Bar and Grill. Following lunch the group re-assembled at the RAN S AIRCRAFT plant. Ran s has a large variety of kit build planes available and markets them in 50 countries throughout the world. At the end of article telling the history of Ran s he writes RAN S was not an overnight success, it was a gentle ramping up, and encouraged all the way by sales, and customers, many whom have become good friends. Millions of years ago a large inland sea covered much of the area that is now the Great Plains region (including Kansas). Living in this tropical sea were large fish, reptiles, sharks, turtles, ammonites and other unusual characters. Today, preserved in the surface rocks of western Kansas, are the fossilized remains of many of these prehistoric creatures that lived 80 to 100 million years ago. To go from my sister s basement to one of the top producers of kit planes in the world, and to have product flying the world over is something I will always be thankful for. The journey has not been without ups and downs, but the trip has always been worth the effort and far from ending. It was a great visit. If you re interested in building During the first half of the 20 th century, the Sternberg family collected some of these RAN S DESIGNS, INC. 4600 183 Alt Hays, KS 67601 www.rans.com email: sales@rans.com - 5 -
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NAPP NATIONAL CONVENTION July 7-8, 2015 DES MOINES, IOWA IFR/VFR Fly-ins: Ankeny Regional (KIKV) FBO: Exec 1 (Free tie downs in public area) Commercial Fly-ins: Des Moines International (KDSM) HOSTS: Gene Murray (cell: 712-261-1246) Mike Makelbust (cell: 515-231-3380) Please phone, e-mail or mail RSVP by Monday, June 24, 2015 NAME CELL PHONE EMAIL ARRIVAL DATE By: Pvt Plane N -ETA: By: Car ETA Commercial Flight Airline Flight No ETA DEPARTURE INFO: RESERVATIONS TO: Mike Makelbust 204 21 st St Ames, IA 50010 Email: mmakelbust@mchsi.com (Phone) 1-515-231-3380 CONVENTION HEADQUARTERS HOTEL Towne Place Suites by Marriott 8800 Northpark Dr Johnston, IA 50131 515-727-4066 Tom Murray-General Manager tmurray@fhginc.com Call above number OR email to make room reservations Mention NAPP Convention for Special Rate of $89 plus tax per room when making reservations - 7 -